The Resident Physician Section is heading into a new year, and we have re-organized our priorities to better serve our members. We recently asked you to participate in an online survey regarding the section priorities and thank those who participated: you spoke and we listened.

However, this is not the final word for the year, and we welcome all feedback and assistance as we strive to reach these goals. We look forward to working for and advancing the section!

Update on PM Residency Fundingby Charlie Preston

As many of you know, the new health reform law authorized HHS to spend $43 million on preventive medicine residency training in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. But authorizing spending and appropriating spending are two different things, and unfortunately, given today's grim budgetary environment, the full amount won't be appropriated.

Paul Bonta and the staff at ACPM are trying to maximize PM funding by working with appropriators in both the House and Senate to get $5 million for FY 2011 and another $5 million for FY 2012. This will maintain the current level of dramatically improved funding seen under the stimulus legislation (ARRA), which allocated $7 million, plus $2.4 million provided to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), through the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill.

While the current funding level of more than $9 million is a tremendous increase over the historic annual funding level of just $1 million, every effort must now be made to ensure that, at a minimum, we maintain our $9 million base each year. Since the ARRA funding will run out in two years, we have to work to build our base funding through the appropriations process from 2.4 million to over $9 million by the end of FY 2012.

If you want to ensure that appropriators fulfill their promise to PM, please write your Member of Congress, and tell them you'd like $5 million to be appropriated for FY 2011.

New Loan Repayment Program for Public Health Professionalsby Charlie Preston

If you have student debt, there's an exciting new loan repayment program available to public health professionals. Under a provision in the health reform law titled, "Public health workforce loan repayment program", HHS will offer loan repayment of up to $35,000 a year in exchange for 3 years of service to a state, local, or tribal public health agency.

To be eligible, an individual must have graduated from an institution providing a public health or health professions degree within 10 years, and be employed or have accepted employment at a public health agency.

Funding will be authorized to start in FY 2010, at $195 million, and "such sums as may be necessary" thereafter, through 2015. While this is just an authorization, Paul Bonta of ACPM feels confident this money will eventually be appropriated.

Specific details of the program are still being worked out, but we know it will be administered by the Bureau of Health Professions, a division of HRSA. Look for more information in the next RPS newsletter.

Effects of inhalation include odors which may cause nausea, vomiting, or headaches. Hydrocarbons can trigger pneumonitis if inhaled. Benzene can be released into the air from crude oil causing immunosuppression, hepatotoxicity, renotoxicity, anemia, and cancers. Release of volatile components can burn and irritate mucous membranes. Oil fire smoke allows for the release of carbon and particulate matter.

Acute oral administration of crude oil to animals has resulted in hepatic effects and development effects. Ground water contamination can lead to ingestion of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. Ingestion of crude oil and it's byproducts by seafood can lead to biomagnification of contaminants.

The volatile organic compounds found most frequently, and most studied, in crude oil are known as BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Below is a list of their health effects.

CDC/ODPHP Service Fellowship in Health Communication - The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is seeking applicants who are interested in applying skills of e-health and communication in a federal public health policy office. Deadline is June 4th, 2010. To learn more go tohttp://www.asph.org/userfiles/ODPHP-service-fellowship-announcement2010.pdf.